Apparatus for treating sheets for tinning



April 9, 1929.

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Mingus APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHEETS FOR .TINNING Filed Oct. 26, 1927 sSheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES INVENTOR April 9, 1929. s. E. DIESCHER1,703,412

APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHEETS FOR TINNING I Filed Oct. 26, 1927 3Sheets-Sheet 5 WITNESSES INVENTOR Patented Apr. 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,708,412 PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL E. DIESCHER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 S. DIESCHER&, SONS, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A PARTNERSHIP CONSISTING OF SAM-UEL E. DIESC HER AND AUGUST P. DIESCHER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATIN SHEETS FOR TINNING.

Application filed. October 26, 1927.

The invention has to do with the removal of liquid adhering to sheetmetal, particularly that used in the manufacture of tin plate.

In the preparation of sheet metal for tin plating it, the sheets areblack piclned in an acid solution and are then washed or swilled. Theacid of the pickling liquid acts upon the iron of the sheets to producecopperas, which is held in solution in the liquid, and when the sheetsare removed from the pickling to'the swilling bath, some of thiscopperas, as well as acid, is carried with them, and is not entirelyremoved from them in the swilling operation. i Vhen the sheets aresubsequently annealed, the acid content of the water adhering to andlying between the plates attacks the iron and forms copperas in additionto that held in suspension in the water. If the plates are not highlyheated, this copperas forms a deposit on the sheets which materiallyinterferes with their subsequent proper tinning, and, if the plates arehighly heated, there is danger of their sticking together.

The object of this invention is to provide a method for treating sheetmetal subsequent to its having beenpickled, whereby water, and itscontent of copperas and acid adhering to it, may be efiectively removed,and to-provide a simple and practical apparatus for practicing themethod.

In the practice of the invention a pack of sheet metal, having swillbathwater adhering to its faces and lying between the sheets, is subjectedto high pressure in such a manner as to effectively force the water tothe edges of the plates from which it drains and is further removed by adrying air blast.

For thus pressing a pack of sheet metal, I have provided a machine, thepreferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical central sectional view of themachine; Fig. 2 a plan view; Fig. 3 a transverse sectional view-taken onthe line IIIIII, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a plan view of the bottom of a cradlesupport for a pack of sheet metal; and Fig. 5 an end view of the supportshown in Fig. 1.

The machine comprises a pair of heads spaced apart to form a gap forreceiving a pack of sheet metal, and includes a support for holding thepack between the heads.

Serial No. 228,813.

One of the heads is preferably supported by a fixed frame and the otherby an element, preferably in the form of a hydraulic plunger movabletowards the fixed head to close the gap between the heads and applypressure to the pack. To maintain the center lines of various packscoincident with the central line of action of the plunger regardless ofthe width of plates forming a particular pack and tothereby avoidbinding of the plunger, provislon is made for adjusting the pressureapplying heads as well as the pack support with relation to the line ofaction of the plunger. Also, provision is made for moving the packsupport to place the pack between the heads and to maintain the edges ofthe sheets in proper alignment with the heads both prior to and during apressure applymg operation.

Having reference now to the illustrative embodiment of the invention,the machine comprises two fixed frames 1 and 2 rigidly connected to eachother by heavy rods or shafts 3. Mounted in frame 2 there is a hydraulicpressing ram comprising a cylinder t attached to the frame and a tubularplunger 5 movable longitudinally of the cylinder. At its outer endplunger 5 is attached to a yoke 6 which is slidably mounted upon rods 3.Adjacent to the outer end of plunger 5 and to the outer face of yoke 6there is a pressure applying head 7, and a similar head 8 is arrangedadjacent to the inner face of frame 1. These heads are supported forvertical adjustment by the lower ends of rods 18 and 9 provided at theirupper ends with worm wheels 10 and 11. Meshing with worm wheel 10 thereis a worm 12 splined for longitudinal movement upon a shaft 13, the endsof which shaft are mounted in brackets 14 and 15. A second worm 16 isattached to shaft 13 and meshes with worm wheel 11, and the shaft isprovided with a hand wheel 17 so that the rotation of the shaft causessimultaneous and equal rotation of head-suspending rods 18 and 9. Thelower ends of these rods are threaded and engage nuts 19 mounted in andheld against rotation by pockets formed in heads 7 and 8.

To the end that pressure may be progressively applied from a mid portionof a pack of plates outwardly to its edges, at least one of thepressureapplying heads is provided with an outwardly bowed spring plateso attached to the head that during the pressure applying operation itmay be displaced into a plane. As illustrated in the drawings,

. both heads are preferably provided 'with such plates, head 7 withaplate 20 and head 8 with a plate 21. As seen in Fig. 2 the centralportions of these plates, which are made of heavy spring metal, arebowed outwardly, and their ends are loosely engaged by brackets 22 whichpermit the plates to be displaced into planes.

For supporting a pack of plates between the heads, there is preferablyprovided a suspended cradle. As shown in the drawings this comprises aplurality of bars 25 having eyes at their ends for receiving rods 26,the bars being longer than the widest gap between the pressing heads 7and 8, as seen in Fig. 1. Each end of each cradle rod 26 is pivotallyattached to a bell crank lever having a vertically disposed arm 30 and ahori-' zon'tally disposedarm 31, the upper ends of arms 30being'pivotally attached to cross beams32 and 33, and the inner ends ofarms 310i adjacent levers being connected to each other by acompensating link 34. At its center, beam 32 is engaged by theupperendof a tubular plunger 35, the lower end of which extends into a pressurecylinder 36 formed in head 7. Similarly, beam 33 is supported at itscenter by the upper end of a tubular plunger 37, the lower end of whichextends into a pressurecylinder 38 formed in head 8. For raisingplungers 36 and 37 to elevate cradle 25, pressure fluid, preferablycompressed air, is led to cylinders 36 and 38 through ports 39 and 40formed in their walls. At their centers beams 32 and 33 are providedwith upwardly extending racks 40 and 41 which mesh with pinions 42 and43 attached to a rotatable shaft 44, pinion 42 being splined forlongitudinal movement upon the 6 rearwardly, the outer end of cylinder 4is provided with a plunger 46 adapted to move longitudinally in acylinder 47 arranged centrally within the main cavity of cylinder 4.

7 Pressure fluid is let into cylinder 47 through a beam 49 and rods 50,yoke 6 and plunger 5 are also moved rearwardly, the yoke sliding uponthe frame connecting rods 3.

ln'the operation of the press when used for removing water from pickledsheet metal, pressure applying heads 7 and 8 are first adjustedvertically sothat, depending upon the width of plates to be pressed,their centers will lie in the center line of movement of plunger 5, suchadjustment being indicated in 1 fora pack of plates 55. This adjustmentis effect-edby rotating shaft 13 by its hand wheel 17 the rotation ofthe shaft being effective through worms 12 and 16 and worm wheels 10 and11 to rotate rods 18 and 9 in their nuts 19. Thereafter cradle 25 may belowered somewhat for receiving the plates, although it may, if. desired,be held in its uppermost position with the cradlebars bearing on thelower faces of heads 7 and 8. For moving the cradle upwardly andmaintaining it'in its upward position, pressure fluid is let intocylinders 36 and 38 of the heads throughtheir ports 39 and 40, it beingunderstood that downward movement of the cradle is effected by gravitywhen the pres.

sure in cylinders 36 and 38 is reduced or removed. lVhen a pack ofplates 55 is arranged upon cradle 25 between heads 7 and 8, fluidpressure is let into cylinder 4 through pipe 45 to cause plunger 5 andits attached yoke 6 to move head 7 toward head 8. During thispressure-applying movement, the yoke 6 slides upon rods 3, worm 12 uponshaft 13 and pinion 42 upon shaft 44, this worm and pinion being splinedupon their respective shafts to permit, of the movements of the plungeryoke. I

As head 7 is thus moving towards head 8 the upper ends of the arm 30 ofthe cradlesus )ending bell crank levers move toward each other tendingto a lowering of the cradle, which is counteracted by upward movementsof tubular plungers 35 and 37 through pressure fluid constantlyapplied'in cylinders 36 and 38. The cradle is maintained in its properhorizontal position by reason of the compensating link connections 34between the inner ends of hell crank'lever rods 31, the effect of whichis to maintain the lever arms 30 on opposite sides of the cradle atuniform inclinations to the vertical.

By reason of the outwardly bowed spring plates 20 and 21, pressure isfirst applied to the central portion of a pack. As hear 7 is movedfurther towards head 8 these spring plates yield inwardly toprogressively apply pressure towards and to the ends of he plates, withthe result that the water and its content 'of copper-as and acid'isgradually forced to the edges of the pack. Cradle25 may then be loweredby permitting pressure fluid to escape'from cylinders 36.and 38, andwhen the cradle is thus lowered all sides of the pack are freelyexposed. J ets' of compressed air may then be applied to the edges ofthe plates to remove the water adhering to them, after which the cradlemay be again raised to support the pack while plunger 5 and its attachedyoke 6 is moved rearwardly by applying pressure to cylinder 47 throughpipe 4:8. If desired, or found necessary, the pressurenpplying operationmay be repeated, first spreading the plates so that air may be entrappedbetween them to assist in expelling the remaining water when pressure isagain applied.

so treating sheet metal after it has been pickled, practically all ofthe water adhering to and between its faces, and its content of copperasand acid, is removed from the sheets 'ith the result that the copperaswill not later interfere with proper subsequent tin ning of the sheets.

A ccording to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explainedthe principle and mode of operation of my invention, and haveillustrated and described what I now consider to be the best form ofapparatus for practicing it. However, I desire to have it understoodthat, within the scope of the appended claims, the invcnt-ion may bepracticed with other forms of apparatus than that specificallyillustrated and described.

I claim as my invention:

1. Apparatus for removing liquid from a pack of sheet metal, comprisinga pair ot plate-engaging heads spaced laterally trom each other,vertically adjustable means for supporting a pack of sheetmetal on itsedge between heads, and means for closing the gap between said heads toapply pressure to the pack.

2. Apparatus for removing liquid from a pack of sheet metal, comprisinga pa1r of plate-engaging heads spaced laterally from each other,vertically adjustable means for supporting a pack of sheet metal on itsedge between said heads, and a horizontally movable ram for closing thegap between said heads to apply pressure to the pack.

3. Apparatus for removing liquid from a pack of sheet metal, comprisinga pa r of plate-engaging heads spaced laterally rrom each other, acradle pivotally suspended from above said heads for supporting a packof sheet metal on itsedge between the heads, means for closing the gapbetween said heads to apply pressure to the pack, and means for urgingsaid cradle upwardly as said heads.

approach each other. v j

4. Apparatus for remov ng liquid fro m a pack of sheet inetaheomprisinga pair or oppositely disposed heads, 'an outwardly bowed spring platemounted on the face of one or said heads for displacement into a plane,means for supporting a pack of sheetmetal with its faces parallel tosaid heads; and means for closing the gap between the heads toprogressively apply pressure through said spring plate from a midportion to edges of the pack.

5. Apparatus for removing liquid from a pack of sheet metal, comprisinga pair of oppositely disposed heads, each provided on its face with anoutwardly bowed spring plate mounted for displacement into a plane,means for supporting a pack of sheet metal with its faces parallel tosaid heads, and means for closing the gap between said heads toprogressively apply pressure through said spring plates from a midportion to edges of the pack.

6. Apparatus for removing liquid from a pack of sheet metal, comprisinga pair of oppositely disposed heads, an outwardly bowed spring platemounted on the faces of one of said heads for displacement into a plane,means for supporting a pack of sheet metal with its faces parallel tosaid heads, and a reciprocable ram for closing the gap betwee said headsto progressively apply pressure through said spring plate from a midportion to edges of the pack.

7. Apparatus for removing liquid from a pack of sheet metal, comprisinga fixed frame and ahorizontally reciprocable ram each provided with ahead having a vertical plateengaging face, means for simultaneouslyadjusting said heads vertically, and means for supporting a pack ofplates between said heads with their lower edges flush with the bottomsof said heads.

8. Apparatus for removing liquid from a pack of sheet metal, comprisinga fixed frame and a horizontally reciprocable ram each provided with ahead having a vertical plateengaging face, means for simultaneouslyadjusting said heads vertically, and a vertically movable cradle forsupporting a pack of plates between said heads with their lower edgesflush with the bottom of said heads.

9. Apparatus for removing liquid from a pack of sheet metal, comprisinga fixed frame and a horizontally reciprocable ram each provided with ahead having a vertical plateengaging face, means for simultaneouslyadjusting said heads vertically, a suspended cradle for supporting apack of plates between said heads, and means for moving said cradleupwardly to maintain the bottom of the pack flush with the bottom ofsaid plateeng ging heads when said ram moves towards raid fixed plane.

10. Apparatus for removing liquid from a pack of sheet metal, comprisinga fixed frame and a horizontally reciprocable hydraulic ram each pro*iCletl with a head havlng a vertical plate-engaging face, means forsimultaneously adjusting said heads vertically, a suspended cradle forsupporting a pack of plates between said heads, and pressure actuatedmeans for moving said cradle upwardly to maintain the bottom of the packflush with the bottom of said plate-engaging heads when said ram movestoward said fixed frame.

11. The method of treating Wet sheet metal after it has been pickled,which comprises 5 subjecting a pack thereof to high pressure to removeWater and its content of copperas and acid from the surfaces of theplate.

12. The method of treating Wet sheet metal after it has been pickled,which comprises subjecting a pack thereof to high pressure to removeWater and its content of copperas and acid from the surfaces of theplate; the pressure being applied progressively from a mid portion toedges of the pack.

In testimony whereof, I sign my name.

SAMUEL E. DIESCHER.

